Printers often include one or more storage devices to store print jobs, configuration information, fonts, and various other data. The storage devices may be memory devices, disk drives, or other storage mechanisms. In many printers, the storage devices have a limited amount of storage space. As new printer features are developed and added to printers, more storage space is needed to support the new features, thereby leaving less space for storing or spooling print jobs.
Certain printer features require that an entire print job be sent to the printer and stored on the printer's storage device. One such feature is the “proof-and-hold” printing feature. Using proof-and-hold, a user of the printer may request printing of several copies of a particular print job. Initially, the printer stores the entire print job and prints one “proof” copy of the print job for proof-reading by the user. If the “proof” copy is acceptable, the user presses a particular button on the printer, and the remaining copies of the print job are printed. If the “proof” copy is not acceptable, the user presses a different button on the printer to abort the operation. This feature prevents the printing of multiple copies of a print job that contains errors or that requires revision. Since the proof-and-hold feature requires storage of the entire print job in the printer, this feature cannot be used if the print job is larger than the capacity of the printer's storage device.
Another printer feature provides a secure printing mode. This secure printing mode allows a user to send a print job to the printer and attach a security code, such as a personal identification number (PIN), to the print job. The printer does not print the print job until the user enters the appropriate security code on the keyboard or screen of the printer. This secure printing mode prevents the wrong individual from viewing sensitive or confidential information contained in a print job. As with the proof-and-hold feature discussed above, this secure printing mode requires that the printer is capable of storing the entire print job. If the print job is larger than the printer's storage capacity, then the user cannot take advantage of the secure printing mode feature.
Certain printers are capable of receiving and storing “blank” electronic forms. These “blank” electronic forms are “filled” with data received in a print job from a user. These electronic forms may be updated periodically, which requires downloading new forms to the printer. In a large organization with many printers, a change to a portion of an electronic form may require the downloading of a revised form to hundreds or thousands of printers to replace the previous version of the form. Administering the repeated distribution of revised electronic forms to multiple printers can be both tedious and time-consuming. Furthermore, each electronic form stored on a printer reduces the available storage space on the printer for storing print jobs and other data.
The invention described herein addresses these and other problems by using pointers to print jobs rather than sending the print jobs directly to the printer.